Abstract

The alignment- and channel-resolved ionization of the triatomic nonlinear molecules ${\mathrm{SO}}_2$ and ${\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$ in strong fields has been studied using the strong-field approximation theory. When the instantaneous electric field points from O to S in ${\mathrm{SO}}_2$ or from H to O in ${\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$, the ionization rate is much larger than in the opposite case. The antibonding nature and destructive interference of the electron wave packets with opposite phases lead to distinct ionization suppression on the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of ${\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$ and HOMO-1 of ${\mathrm{SO}}_2$. By controlling the relative intensity of the two-color 800 and 400 nm laser fields, the orientation-dependent ionization rate can be manipulated, and the electrons emitted from the different molecular orbitals can be disentangled in space. The orientation- and molecular-orbital-resolved ionization can be used to retrieve the complex structure of molecules to image the molecular orbitals HOMO, HOMO-1, and HOMO-2 as well as to steer the photoelectron emission of the laser-driven nonlinear molecules.

© 2019 Optical Society of America

Fully differential measurement on above-threshold ionization of CO and CO₂ molecules in strong laser fields

Xianrong Liu, Yunquan Liu, Hong Liu, Yongkai Deng, Chengyin Wu, and Qihuang Gong
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 28(2) 293-297 (2011)

Role of excited states in molecular alignment-dependent ionization

Shilin Hu, Zheng Shu, Mingqing Liu, Li Guo, Xiaolei Hao, Jing Chen, and Chaohong Lee
Opt. Express 26(24) 32225-32236 (2018)

Comparative study of electron vortices in photoionization of molecules and atoms by counter-rotating circularly polarized laser pulses

Rong-Rong Wang, Mao-Yun Ma, Liang-Cai Wen, Zhong Guan, Zeng-Qiang Yang, Zhi-Hong Jiao, Guo-Li Wang, and Song-Feng Zhao
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 40(7) 1749-1755 (2023)

High harmonic spectra contributed by HOMO-1 orbital of aligned CO₂ molecules

Jiawei Li, Peng Liu, Hua Yang, Liwei Song, Shitong Zhao, Hui Lu, Ruxin Li, and Zhizhan Xu
Opt. Express 21(6) 7599-7607 (2013)

Dressed-bound-state molecular strong-field approximation: application to high-order harmonic generation by heteronuclear diatomic molecules

Senad Odžak and Dejan B. Milošević
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 29(8) 2147-2155 (2012)